Information processing apparatus, control method therefor, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

An information processing apparatus transmits a login request for logging into an external device to the external device, based on a short-range wireless communication being established between the information processing apparatus and the external device in a state where an application is operating in a background state on the information processing apparatus.

BACKGROUND

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/469,722 filed Sep. 8, 2021, which claims the benefit of JapaneseApplication No. 2020-154019 filed Sep. 14, 2020. The disclosures of theabove-named applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein intheir entireties.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, acontrol method therefor, and a storage medium.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

In an image forming apparatus including a near field communication (NFC)tag, information for identifying the image forming apparatus, such asconnection information (an internet protocol (IP) address or a mediaaccess control (MAC) address) of the image forming apparatus, is storedin the NFC tag.

A mobile terminal reads the information from the NFC tag of the imageforming apparatus to perform a wireless local area network (LAN)communication with the image forming apparatus. Then, on an application,the mobile terminal can transmit, to the image forming apparatus,authentication information to issue a login instruction, or issue aninstruction to execute a print job for printing an image or a document.

For example, a handover discussed in Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No. 2013-157736 is known in which a program is started on amobile terminal and the mobile terminal is brought into contact with anNFC tag while an operation screen of the program is displayed, to readinformation from the NFC tag, so that an access point (AP) forconnecting to a wireless communication LAN is switched.

As discussed in Japanese Patent No. 4504378, there is also known atechnique in which, when a user operates an operation screen of aprogram and transmits authentication information to issue a logininstruction to an image forming apparatus of a handover destination, theuser can use a menu screen for selecting a function such as a copyfunction on an operation screen of the image forming apparatus.

However, in a case where the user uses the mobile terminal to log intothe image forming apparatus, generally, the user needs to bring themobile terminal close to the image forming apparatus or perform apredetermined operation in a state where a predetermined screen isdisplayed on a program for controlling the image forming apparatus. Inother words, the user cannot transmit a login instruction to the imageforming apparatus in a state where the program for controlling the imageforming apparatus is operating in a background state—for example, in astate where the mobile terminal is locked. In this case, the user needsto unlock a lock screen to display the predetermined screen of theprogram first and then bring the mobile terminal close to the imageforming apparatus. This can cause unnecessary inconvenience to the user.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques andmechanisms for easily logging into an image forming apparatus even whena program for controlling the image forming apparatus is operating in abackground state.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method isprovided for controlling an information processing apparatus configuredto communicate with an external device and to execute an application.The method includes transmitting a login request for logging into theexternal device to the external device, based on a short-range wirelesscommunication being established between the information processingapparatus and the external device in a state where the application isoperating in a background state on the information processing apparatus.

Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an informationprocessing system.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of amobile terminal. FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of themobile terminal. FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating a softwareconfiguration of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of anear field communication (NFC) tag.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a screen transition of the mobileterminal.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed while anapplication is being executed in a background state.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating screen display processing to beperformed when data is received.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a lock screen of themobile terminal.

FIGS. 9A to 9C each illustrate an example of a screen to be displayed onan operation screen of the image forming apparatus.

FIGS. 10A and 10B each illustrate an example of an authenticationinformation management table.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described belowwith reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of an information processing system.The information processing system includes a mobile terminal 100, animage forming apparatus 110, a near field communication (NFC) tag 111,and an access point 120.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of themobile terminal 100. FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of the image forming apparatus 110. FIG. 3A is a blockdiagram illustrating a software configuration of the mobile terminal100. FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration ofthe image forming apparatus 110.

The mobile terminal 100 can perform a wireless communication via awireless communication local area network (LAN) or the like. When anoperator inputs information about the access point 120, such as aservice set identifier (SSID) or a security key, to the mobile terminal100, the mobile terminal 100 can connect to the access point 120 andcommunicate with the image forming apparatus 110 via the access point120. The mobile terminal 100 can transmit authentication information toan external apparatus, such as the image forming apparatus 110, via theaccess point 120. The mobile terminal 100 can transmit a print job to anexternal apparatus, such as the image forming apparatus 110, via theaccess point 120. The mobile terminal 100 can perform a short-rangewireless communication with the image forming apparatus 110.

The mobile terminal 100 can acquire information from the NFC tag 111(described below) by short-range wireless communication and connect tothe access point 120 based on the acquired information. The process ofusing the information acquired by short-range wireless communication toswitch from a short-range wireless communication to another wirelesscommunication such as a wireless LAN communication is referred to as ahandover. The handover enables the operator to connect to the accesspoint 120 without inputting information (such as the SSID or securitykey of the access point 120) for connecting to the access point 120.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201, aread-only memory (ROM) 202, a random access memory (RAM) 203, anauxiliary storage device 204, a real-time clock (RTC) 205, an operationpanel 206, a speaker 207, a microphone 208, a camera 209, a short-rangewireless communication unit 210, and a wireless communication unit 211.Furthermore, as described below, in the mobile terminal 100, anoperating system (OS) 311 and a mobile application 300 are installed inthe auxiliary storage device 204.

While in the present exemplary embodiment, the mobile terminal 100 isassumed to be an apparatus such as a smartphone or a tablet personalcomputer (PC), any other type of apparatus may also be used as long asthe apparatus is an information processing apparatus configured toperform a wireless communication.

The CPU 201 reads out control programs stored in the ROM 202, andperforms various kinds of processing for controlling the operation ofthe mobile terminal 100.

In the present exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that a single CPU 201performs each processing in a flowchart illustrated in FIG. 6 and asingle CPU 2111 performs each processing in a flowchart illustrated inFIG. 7 . Alternatively, any other configuration may be used. Forexample, each processing in the flowcharts to be described below may becooperatively performed by a plurality of CPUs.

The ROM 202 stores control programs for the mobile terminal 100. Thecontrol programs described herein refer to programs for control andoperation of hardware of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of theprograms include a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) and firmware.

The RAM 203 is a memory to which data can be written optionally, and isused as a temporary storage area such as a main memory or a work area ofthe CPU 201. For example, when executing the control programs for themobile terminal 100, the CPU 201 loads the control programs stored inthe ROM 202 into the RAM 203 to execute the programs, thereby performingvarious kinds of processing.

The auxiliary storage device 204 stores various kinds of data, such aspictures captured by the camera 209, electronic documents, and programs.The OS 311 and the mobile application 300 are installed and stored asprograms in the auxiliary storage device 204. In the present exemplaryembodiment, a hard disk drive (HDD) is used as the auxiliary storagedevice 204. Alternatively, any other type of device, such as a solidstate drive (SSD), may be used.

The RTC 205 measures the time and provides time information for thecontrol programs stored in the ROM 202, the OS 311, the mobileapplication 300, and the like.

The operation panel 206 can detect a touch operation by the operator,and displays various kinds of screens provided by the OS 311 or themobile application 300. The operator can perform a touch operation onthe operation panel 206 to input a desired operation instruction to themobile terminal 100.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the operator performs a touchoperation on the operation panel 206 to input an operation instructionto the mobile terminal 100. Alternatively, for example, the operator mayuse hardware keys to input an operation instruction.

The speaker 207 and the microphone 208 are used when the mobile terminal100 makes a call to another mobile terminal 100 or a fixed telephone.More specifically, when making a call to another mobile terminal 100 ora fixed telephone, the mobile terminal 100 inputs an operator's voice tothe microphone 208 and outputs the other party's voice from the speaker207 to transmit and exchange voice information. The speaker 207 and themicrophone 208 may also be used for applications other than telephonecalling. For example, the speaker 207 and the microphone 208 may also beused for voice output and voice input on an application.

The camera 209 captures an image in response to an image capturinginstruction from the operator. Pictures captured by the camera 209 arestored as image data in a predetermined area of the auxiliary storagedevice 204.

The short-range wireless communication unit 210 performs communicationprocessing for performing a short-range wireless communication via NFCor the like. In the present exemplary embodiment, when the mobileterminal 100 is brought close to the NFC tag 111, a short-range wirelesscommunication is established between the short-range wirelesscommunication unit 210 and the NFC tag 111. At this time, theshort-range wireless communication unit 210 acquires information, suchas the SSID or security key of the access point 120, from the NFC tag111. The short-range wireless communication unit 210 can also perform aBluetooth® communication.

The wireless communication unit 211 performs a wireless communicationvia a wireless LAN or the like. For example, by using a handover basedon the information acquired from the NFC tag 111 by the short-rangewireless communication unit 210, the wireless communication unit 211 canconnect to the wireless LAN without a difficult operation on the accesspoint 120.

More specifically, the use of connection information (the SSID orsecurity key of the access point 120) acquired from the NFC tag 111 ofthe image forming apparatus 110 by the short-range wirelesscommunication unit 210 enables the wireless communication unit 211 toconnect to the access point 120.

The image forming apparatus 110 can perform a wireless communication viaa wireless communication LAN or the like with the mobile terminal 100via the access point 120 and connect to the network. The image formingapparatus 110 performs authentication using the authenticationinformation received from the mobile terminal 100, and provides menuoptions (e.g., a copy function) available in the mobile terminal 100.Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 110 executes the print job orthe like received from the mobile terminal 100.

The image forming apparatus 110 includes the NFC tag 111, a control unit2101, an operation unit 2119, a printer 2120, and a scanner 2121. Theimage forming apparatus 110 may also include a communication unit forperforming a Bluetooth® communication.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of theNFC tag 111.

The NFC tag 111 stores information, such as the SSID or security key ofthe access point 120, for connecting to the access point 120. When theshort-range wireless communication unit 210 is brought close to the NFCtag 111, a short-range wireless communication is established between theshort-range wireless communication unit 210 and the NFC tag 111, so thatthe short-range wireless communication unit 210 acquires the informationfrom the NFC tag 111. Although the NFC tag 111 is incorporated into theimage forming apparatus 110, the NFC tag 111 is not electricallyconnected to the control unit 2101 and cannot communicate with thecontrol unit 2101.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the NFC tag 111 uses an NFC methodto communicate with the short-range wireless communication unit 210.Alternatively, any communication method other than the NFC method may beused as long as the method enables short-range wireless communication,and the NFC tag 111 may have a shape suitable for the short-rangewireless communication. For example, a communication may be establishedbetween the NFC tag 111 and the short-range wireless communication unit210 by using a Bluetooth® pairing connection method. In this case, anintegrated circuit (IC) card into which a separate power supply, such asa button battery, is incorporated may be used.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the NFC tag 111 is included in theimage forming apparatus 110, but may not be necessarily includedtherein. For example, the NFC tag 111 may be present outside the imageforming apparatus 110.

The NFC tag 111 includes an antenna 1411, a controller 1412, and amemory 1413.

The antenna 1411 operates as an antenna for wireless communication fromthe short-range wireless communication unit 210. The antenna 1411 isconnected to the controller 1412, and power supplied from theshort-range wireless communication unit 210 by electromagnetic inductionenables the controller 1412 to operate.

The controller 1412 communicates with the mobile terminal 100 via theantenna 1411, and issues a processing instruction to the memory 1413 bycommunication. The memory 1413 stores information about the imageforming apparatus 110. The controller 1412 can notify the mobileterminal 100 of the information via the antenna 1411.

The memory 1413 holds the information about the image forming apparatus110, such as a media access control (MAC) address of the image formingapparatus 110. The controller 1412 notifies the mobile terminal 100 ofthe information held in the memory 1413.

The control unit 2101 controls the operation of the image formingapparatus 110. The control unit 2101 is connected to each of theoperation unit 2119, the printer 2120, and the scanner 2121. The controlunit 2101 includes the CPU 2111, a ROM 2112, a RAM 2113, an auxiliarystorage device 2114, an operation unit interface (I/F) 2115, a printerI/F 2116, a scanner I/F 2117, and a network I/F 2118.

The CPU 2111 reads out control programs stored in the ROM 2112 andperforms various kinds of control processing, such as scan control andtransmission control, in the image forming apparatus 110.

The ROM 2112 stores the control programs for the image forming apparatus110. The control programs described herein refer to programs for controland operation of hardware of the image forming apparatus 110. Examplesof the programs include a BIOS and firmware.

The RAM 2113 is a memory to which data can be written optionally, and isused as a temporary storage area such as a main memory or a work area ofthe CPU 2111. For example, when executing the control programs for theimage forming apparatus 110, the CPU 2111 loads the control programsstored in the ROM 2112 into the RAM 2113 to execute the programs,thereby performing various kinds of processing.

The auxiliary storage device 2114 stores various kinds of data such asimage data, electronic documents, and programs. The auxiliary storagedevice 2114 also stores an image forming apparatus application 320. Inthe present exemplary embodiment, an HDD is used as the auxiliarystorage device 2114. Alternatively, any other type of device, such as anSSD, may be used.

The operation unit I/F 2115 functions as an interface for connecting thecontrol unit 2101 and the operation unit 2119 to each other. Theoperation unit I/F 2115 relays communication between the control unit2101 and the operation unit 2119.

The printer I/F 2116 functions as an interface for connecting thecontrol unit 2101 and the printer 2120 to each other. The printer I/F2116 is connected to the printer 2120 and relays communication betweenthe control unit 2101 and the printer 2120. As a print job to beexecuted by the printer 2120, image data is transferred from the controlunit 2101 to the printer 2120 via the printer I/F 2116. Then, theprinter 2120 prints an image on a recording medium based on the imagedata.

The scanner I/F 2117 functions as an interface for connecting thecontrol unit 2101 and the scanner 2121 to each other. The scanner I/F2117 is connected to the scanner 2121 and relays communication betweenthe control unit 2101 and the scanner 2121. The scanner 2121 scans animage on a document to generate image data, and outputs the generatedimage data to the control unit 2101 via the scanner I/F 2117.

The network I/F 2118 functions as an interface for connecting thecontrol unit 2101 and the access point 120 to each other. The networkI/F 2118 has a wireless communication function for connecting to theaccess point 120. In the present exemplary embodiment, the access point120 and the network I/F 2118 are connected via a wireless LAN.Alternatively, wired communication may be performed using a LAN cable orthe like.

The network I/F 2118 inputs authentication information or a print job,which has been received from the mobile terminal 100, to the controlunit 2101 via the access point 120.

The operation unit 2119 is a user interface for allowing the user tooperate the image forming apparatus 110. The operation unit 2119 isconnected to the operation unit I/F 2115 and communicates with thecontrol unit 2101 via the operation unit I/F 2115. The operation unit2119 includes a liquid crystal display section that displays the stateof the image forming apparatus 110 so that the user can recognize thestate of the image forming apparatus 110, and a keyboard fortransmitting information about a user's operation to the image formingapparatus 110. The liquid crystal display section may have a touch panelfunction and may be integrally formed with the keyboard.

The printer 2120 prints an image on a recording medium based on theimage data transferred from the control unit 2101. The printer 2120 isconnected to the printer I/F 2116 and communicates with the control unit2101 to receive print image data as a print job via the printer I/F2116.

The scanner 2121 converts an image on a document into image data. Thescanner 2121 is connected to the scanner I/F 2117 and outputs the imagedata, which is obtained by the scanner 2121 scanning and converting theimage on the document, to the control unit 2101 via the scanner I/F2117.

Various kinds of applications can be installed in the mobile terminal100, and software for controlling the installed applications is used.While in the present exemplary embodiment, the OS 311 and the mobileapplication 300 are installed in the mobile terminal 100, applicationsother than the OS 311 and the mobile application 300 may also beinstalled in the mobile terminal 100.

Applications that support the applications installed in the mobileterminal 100 and are used to control the image forming apparatus 110 canbe installed in the image forming apparatus 110. While in the presentexemplary embodiment, the image forming apparatus application 320 isinstalled in the image forming apparatus 110, applications other thanthe image forming apparatus application 320 may also be installed in theimage forming apparatus 110.

The OS 311 is software for controlling the entire operation of themobile terminal 100. The OS 311 operates as a program in the mobileterminal 100. Processing for delivering information between the hardwareof the mobile terminal 100 and the application installed in the mobileterminal 100, for example, the mobile application 300 is described inthe OS 311. The CPU 201 performs the processing based on the processingdescribed in the OS 311.

The mobile application 300 is installed in the mobile terminal 100 andis stored as a program in the auxiliary storage device 204. The mobileapplication 300 runs on the mobile terminal 100. The CPU 201 cantransmit authentication information to issue a login instruction to theimage forming apparatus 110, or issue a print instruction or a scaninstruction to the image forming apparatus 110, based on processingdescribed in the mobile application 300.

The mobile application 300 includes a screen control unit 301, acommunication unit 302, a wireless communication LAN setting change unit303, a print job generation unit 304, an authentication management unit305, a storage unit 306, an authentication instruction data generationunit 307, and a display state determination unit 308.

Processing performed by the CPU 201 to control display of a screen onthe operation panel 206 is described in the screen control unit 301.Processing for displaying screens as illustrated in FIG. 5 (describedbelow) on the operation panel 206 is described in the screen controlunit 301. The CPU 201 identifies the operation instruction input by theoperator through the operation panel 206, based on the processingdescribed in the screen control unit 301.

Processing for performing a communication by short-range wirelesscommunication using the short-range wireless communication unit 210 viathe OS 311 and processing for controlling the wireless communication bythe wireless communication unit 211 are described in the communicationunit 302.

Processing for changing a wireless communication setting on the mobileterminal 100 is described in the wireless communication LAN settingchange unit 303. The CPU 201 processes information about the wirelesscommunication setting to be changed, based on the processing describedin the wireless communication LAN setting change unit 303. Using theprocessed information about the wireless communication setting as aparameter, the CPU 201 performs the processing described in the OS 311,and changes a setting for wireless communication hardware, for example,the wireless communication unit 211.

Print job generation processing is described in the print job generationunit 304. The CPU 201 generates a print job based on the processingdescribed in the print job generation unit 304, and transmits the printjob from the wireless communication unit 211 to the image formingapparatus 110 via the access point 120 through the network.

FIG. 10A illustrates an example of an authentication informationmanagement table based on processing described in the authenticationmanagement unit 305.

Processing for managing the authentication information for the imageforming apparatus 110 to which the mobile terminal 100 issues a logininstruction, and providing the managed authentication information isdescribed in the authentication management unit 305. A management table1001 is used to hold in the RAM 203 or the auxiliary storage device 204authentication information input by the user, based on the processingdescribed in the authentication management unit 305. The authenticationinformation is a combination of information indicating an image formingapparatus of a connection destination (i.e., the image forming apparatus110 in the present exemplary embodiment) to which the authenticationinformation is to be transmitted, a user name, and a password, and isstored as one record in the management table 1001.

Processing for temporarily storing various kinds of information in theRAM 203 is described in the storage unit 306. Examples of various kindsof information described herein include work data generated by anapplication operation, such as a work file generated before print jobgeneration based on the processing described in the print job generationunit 304.

Processing for generating authentication instruction data based on theauthentication information is described in the authenticationinstruction data generation unit 307. The CPU 201 extracts theauthentication information held in the management table 1001 from theRAM 203 or the auxiliary storage device 204, and generatesauthentication instruction data using the authentication information asan input value, based on the processing described in the authenticationinstruction data generation unit 307. The CPU 201 transmits theauthentication instruction data from the wireless communication unit 211to the image forming apparatus 110. The image forming apparatus 110performs authentication using the received authentication instructiondata.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a lock screen 801 of the mobileterminal 100.

Processing for determining whether the program being executed is in abackground state is described in the display state determination unit308. The CPU 201 determines whether the mobile application 300 is beingexecuted in the background state, i.e., whether the mobile application300 is not being executed in a foreground state.

More specifically, for example, in a case where the lock screen 801 isdisplayed on the mobile terminal 100, the CPU 201 determines that themobile application 300 is in the background state. The lock screen 801is a screen on which an input operation on the operation panel 206 isrestricted as illustrated in FIG. 8 . Information that is not directlyrelated to the operation, such as information about the time and amethod for unlocking the lock screen 801, is displayed on the lockscreen 801. The lock screen 801 can be unlocked by, for example, a pressof a home button 802 that is displayed at a lower portion of the lockscreen 801. Alternatively, the lock screen 801 may be unlocked byanother operation such as a swipe or a flick.

The image forming apparatus application 320 is installed in the imageforming apparatus 110, and is stored as a program in the auxiliarystorage device 2114. The image forming apparatus application 320 is aprogram that runs on the image forming apparatus 110. The CPU 2111 cancontrol reception of the authentication information transmitted from themobile terminal 100, login processing, printing, scanning, or the like,based on processing described in the image forming apparatus application320.

The image forming apparatus application 320 includes a communicationunit 321, a received data determination unit 322, a screen control unit323, an authentication unit 324, and an authentication determinationunit 325.

Processing performed by the CPU 2111 to receive the authenticationinstruction data transmitted from the mobile terminal 100 is describedin the communication unit 321. In this processing, the CPU 2111 receivesthe authentication instruction data from the mobile terminal 100 via thenetwork I/F 2118 by wireless communication. Processing for receivingdata such as a print job in addition to the authentication instructiondata may be described in the communication unit 321.

Processing performed by the CPU 2111 to determine whether data receivedby the communication unit 321 includes authentication information isdescribed in the received data determination unit 322.

Processing performed by the CPU 2111 to control the display of a screenon the image forming apparatus 110 is described in the screen controlunit 323. In this processing, the CPU 2111 controls the display of ascreen on the liquid crystal display section of the operation unit 2119via the operation unit I/F 2115.

FIG. 10B illustrates an example of an authentication informationmanagement table held in the RAM 2113 based on the processing describedin the authentication unit 324.

Processing for authentication information management by the RAM 2113 andfor authentication result determination is described in theauthentication unit 324. A management table 1002 is an example of theauthentication information management table held in the RAM 2113. Theauthentication unit 324 manages an account 1003 including a plurality ofcombinations of a user name and a password.

Processing for determining the authentication instruction data receivedfrom the mobile terminal 100 is described in the authenticationdetermination unit 325. The CPU 2111 searches the management table 1002for authentication information indicating the combination of the username and the password included in the authentication instruction data,and determines whether the authentication information in the receivedauthentication instruction data is matched. In other words, the CPU 2111determines the authentication result of the authentication information.

The access point 120 relays communication between the mobile terminal100 and the image forming apparatus 110.

More specifically, the access point 120 forms a wireless LAN with theaccess point 120 as the center, and connects each of the mobile terminal100 and the image forming apparatus 110 to the wireless LAN.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a screen transition of the mobileterminal 100.

An outline of each of an authentication instruction function and aprinting function that are implemented by the mobile application 300 anda screen transition will be described next. Each screen illustrated inFIG. 5 is to be displayed on the operation panel 206 by the screencontrol unit 301 of the mobile application 300.

A home screen 501 is to be displayed first when the mobile application300 is started.

The home screen 501 includes a plurality of buttons. When any one of thebuttons is pressed, the home screen 501 transitions to a screen forusing a function associated with the pressed button. For example, in thepresent exemplary embodiment, the home screen 501 includes a loginbutton 503, an authentication information button, a print button, and ascan button. The home screen 501 may also include any other button.

An authentication information management screen 502 is to be displayedwhen the operator touches the authentication information button on thehome screen 501. The authentication information management screen 502 isused to input a user name and a password for the image forming apparatus110 of the handover destination. When an OK button is pressed (touched)on the authentication information management screen 502, the CPU 201stores the input user name and password in the management table 1001 inthe RAM 203 or the auxiliary storage device 204 based on the processingdescribed in the authentication management unit 305.

The login button 503 is used to transmit the authentication informationto issue a login instruction. More specifically, when the login button503 is pressed (touched), the authentication information stored managedby the authentication management unit 305 is transmitted to issue alogin instruction to the image forming apparatus 110 of the handoverdestination.

A print screen 504 is to be displayed when the print button is pressed(touched) on the home screen 501. The print screen 504 is used toinstruct the image forming apparatus 110 of the handover destination toexecute a print job.

A scan setting screen is also to be displayed when the scan button isselected on the home screen 501, so that a scan setting instruction, ascan execution instruction, a data preview instruction, or the like canbe issued to the image forming apparatus 110 of the handoverdestination. An instruction can also be issued to the image formingapparatus 110 when an NFC touch is performed on the image formingapparatus 110 in a state where a predetermined screen is displayed onthe mobile application 300. For example, when the NFC touch is performedin a state where a print setting screen is displayed on the mobileapplication 300, a print job including the contents set on the printsetting screen is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 110. TheNFC touch described herein refers to an operation of bringing the mobileterminal 100 close to the NFC tag 111. When the NFC touch is performed,the mobile terminal 100 performs a short-range wireless communication toread the information stored in the NFC tag 111, and performs a wirelessLAN communication with the image forming apparatus 110.

Conventionally, in a state where the mobile application 300 is beingexecuted in a background (e.g., a state where the lock screen 801 isdisplayed) on the mobile terminal 100, the operator cannot transmit aninstruction to the image forming apparatus 110 even when performing theNFC touch. Thus, for example, if the operator wishes to use the mobileterminal 100 to log into the image forming apparatus 110, the operatoris to unlock the lock screen 801 to display the home screen 501 bypressing the home button 802 first, and then select the login button 503or display a predetermined screen to perform the NFC touch. This istroublesome for the operator.

To address this, in the present exemplary embodiment, in a case wherethe mobile terminal 100 is brought close to the NFC tag 111 of the imageforming apparatus 110 and the short-range wireless communication unit210 acquires connection information from the NFC tag 111 while themobile application 300 is being executed in the background state, themobile terminal 100 transmits the authentication information to issue alogin instruction to the image forming apparatus 110. This configurationenables the operator that performs the NFC touch on the lock screen 801to smoothly transition to the operation screen of the image formingapparatus 110, for example, the menu screen for selecting a functionsuch as the copy function. If the NFC touch is performed while themobile application 300 is not being executed in the background state,i.e., while the mobile application 300 is being executed in theforeground state, an operation similar to a conventional operation iscarried out. For example, if the NFC touch is performed in a state wherethe print setting screen is displayed on the mobile application 300, aprint job is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 110. Asdescribed above, in a case where the user performs the NFC touch in astate where a predetermined screen is displayed on the mobileapplication 300, the user can transmit, to the image forming apparatus110, an instruction depending on the screen being displayed.Furthermore, in a case where the user performs the NFC touch while themobile application 300 is in the background state, the user can log intothe image forming apparatus 110. In other words, the mobile terminal 100can be used as an identification (ID) card for logging into the imageforming apparatus 110.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed while the mobileapplication 300 is being executed in the background state.

Processing performed while the mobile application 300 is being executedin the background state, i.e., while the mobile terminal 100 is lockedwill be described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 6.

The flowchart illustrated in FIG. 6 is performed by the CPU 201 readingout the mobile application 300 from the RAM 203 or the auxiliary storagedevice 204 and executing the mobile application 300. It is assumed thatthe user uses the mobile application 300 to issue a login instruction tothe image forming apparatus 110 from the mobile terminal 100 at leastonce, and the management table 1001 is stored in the RAM 203 or theauxiliary storage device 204.

In step S601, the CPU 201 determines whether the NFC touch is performedto bring the mobile terminal 100 close to the NFC tag 111. If the CPU201 determines that the NFC touch is performed (YES in step S601), theprocessing proceeds to step S602. If the CPU 201 determines that the NFCtouch is not performed (NO in step S601), the processing of step S601 isrepeated.

In step S602, the CPU 201 reads the data stored in the NFC tag 111 viathe short-range wireless communication unit 210. Then, the CPU 201attempts to connect to the network by using information acquired byreading the data, thereby performing acquisition processing and attemptprocessing.

Examples of the stored data include information for connecting to theaccess point 120, such as an internet protocol (IP) address of the imageforming apparatus 110, and the SSID or security key of the access point120.

In step S603, the CPU 201 performs a data format determination fordetermining whether the format of the data read in step S602 is proper.If the format is proper (YES in step S603), the processing proceeds tostep S607. If the format is improper (NO in step S603), for example, ifwritten data is improper or data is unsuccessfully read, the processingproceeds to step S604.

In step S604, the CPU 201 displays an error screen on the operationpanel 206 to notify the operator of the occurrence of an error, and thenterminates the processing of the mobile application 300.

In step S607, the CPU 201 inquires about the MAC address of the imageforming apparatus 110 by using an address resolution protocol (ARP).More specifically, the CPU 201 uses the wireless communication unit 211to transmit a broadcast packet to the wireless LAN network. This enablesthe CPU 201 to identify the MAC address associated with the IP addressof the image forming apparatus 110 stored in the NFC tag 111, therebyestablishing a communication.

In step S608, the CPU 201 uses the wireless communication unit 211 toreceive a response packet from the image forming apparatus 110, andstores the MAC address of the image forming apparatus 110 in the OS 311.If the OS 311 has already held information about the MAC address of theimage forming apparatus 110, more specifically, if information about theMAC address of the image forming apparatus 110 is stored in an ARP tableof the OS 311, the CPU 201 may search the ARP table to acquire the MACaddress.

In step S609, the CPU 201 compares the MAC address stored in the NFC tag111 read in step S602 with the MAC address acquired in step S608. If theMAC addresses match (YES in step S609), the processing proceeds to stepS610. If the MAC addresses do not match (NO in step S609), theprocessing proceeds to step S616.

In step S610, the CPU 201 determines the image forming apparatus 110having the MAC address acquired in step S608 as the apparatus includingthe NFC tag 111, and sets the image forming apparatus 110 as acommunication target. Next, the CPU 201 sets the IP addresscorresponding to the MAC address as the IP address of the image formingapparatus 110 including the NFC tag 111. This is because the NFC tag 111cannot communicate with the control unit 2101 and even when the NFC tag111 is physically connected to the image forming apparatus 110, the CPU201 cannot recognize the presence of the NFC tag 111. For this reason,the CPU 201 recognizes the presence of the NFC tag 111 by comparing theMAC address stored in the NFC tag 111, which is assigned to theapparatus connected to the NFC tag 111, with the MAC address of theimage forming apparatus 110.

In step S611, the CPU 201 performs a background state determination fordetermining whether the mobile application 300 is being executed in thebackground state, based on the processing described in the display statedetermination unit 308. If the mobile application 300 is being executedin the background state (YES in step S611), the processing proceeds tostep S612 to transmit the authentication instruction data. If the mobileapplication 300 is being executed in the foreground state (NO in stepS611), the processing proceeds to step S615. The CPU 201 may determinewhether the mobile terminal 100 is locked, instead of determiningwhether the mobile application 300 is being executed in the backgroundstate.

In step S612, the CPU 201 performs authentication informationacquisition processing for acquiring authentication information, basedon the processing described in the authentication management unit 305.The CPU 201 acquires, as the authentication information, the user nameand the password that correspond to the image forming apparatus 110 andare stored in the management table 1001, from the RAM 203.

In step S613, the CPU 201 generates the authentication instruction datafrom the authentication information acquired in step S612, based on theprocessing described in the authentication instruction data generationunit 307.

In step S614, the CPU 201 transmits the authentication instruction datafor issuing an authentication instruction to the image forming apparatus110 determined in step S610. More specifically, the CPU 201 transmitsthe authentication instruction data generated in step S613 to the IPaddress of the image forming apparatus 110 determined in step S610 viathe communication unit 302 through the wireless LAN network.

In step S615, the CPU 201 transmits an instruction to the image formingapparatus 110 depending on the screen being displayed on the mobileapplication 300. For example, in a case where the print setting screenis displayed on the mobile application 300, the mobile terminal 100transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus 110.

In step S616, the CPU 201 determines whether an elapsed time from theexecution of step S607 has exceeded a threshold. If the elapsed time hasexceeded the threshold, for example, if 10 seconds or more has passed(YES in step S616), the processing proceeds to step S617. If the elapsedtime has not exceeded the threshold (NO in step S616), the processingreturns to step S608.

In step S617, the CPU 201 displays an error screen on the operationpanel 206, which indicates a failure to find the image forming apparatus110 based on the information of the NFC tag 111, to notify the operatorof the failure, and then terminates the processing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating screen display processing to beperformed when data is received on the image forming apparatusapplication 320.

More specifically, the processing in which the image forming apparatusapplication 320 recognizes that data transmitted from the mobileterminal 100 via the network I/F 2118 is received, and provides a screento be displayed on the image forming apparatus 110 will be describedwith reference to the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 7 . Each step in theflowchart illustrated in FIG. 7 is performed by the CPU 2111 reading outthe image forming apparatus application 320 from the RAM 203 or theauxiliary storage device 204 and executing the image forming apparatusapplication 320.

It is assumed that the image forming apparatus 110 stores in the RAM2113 the account 1003 including a plurality of combinations of a username and a password, as the management table 1002.

In step S701, the CPU 2111 recognizes that data is received via thenetwork I/F 2118. More specifically, the CPU 2111 recognizes that theauthentication instruction data is received via the network I/F 2118.

In step S702, the CPU 2111 determines whether authentication informationis included in the received data, based on the processing described inthe received data determination unit 322.

The data transmitted from the mobile terminal 100 is either theauthentication instruction data transmitted in step S614 or screenprocessing data transmitted in step S615. Accordingly, if authenticationinformation is included in the received data (YES in step S702), theprocessing proceeds to step S703. If authentication information is notincluded in the received data (NO in step S702), i.e., if the receiveddata is the screen processing data, the processing proceeds to stepS705.

In step S703, the CPU 2111 performs an authentication resultdetermination for determining whether the authentication is successful,using the authentication information included in the authenticationinstruction data based on the processing described in the authenticationdetermination unit 325. If the authentication is successful (YES in stepS703), the processing proceeds to step S704. If the authentication isunsuccessful (NO in step S703), the processing proceeds to step S706.More specifically, the CPU 2111 searches for the combination of the username and the password in the authentication information through themanagement table 1002 stored in the RAM 2113. If data that matches theauthentication information is present in the account 1003, the CPU 2111determines that the authentication is successful. If no data matches theauthentication information, the CPU 2111 determines that theauthentication is unsuccessful.

FIG. 9B illustrates an example of a menu screen of the image formingapparatus 110.

In step S704, the CPU 2111 instructs the screen control unit 323 todisplay a menu screen. More specifically, the screen control unit 323displays a menu screen 902 for selecting a desired function such as thecopy function, so that the user can operate any of the functionsprovided by the image forming apparatus 110.

FIG. 9C illustrates an example of a screen indicating that the imageforming apparatus 110 is operating in cooperation with the mobileterminal 100.

In step S705, the CPU 2111 instructs the screen control unit 323 todisplay a specific screen. The specific screen described herein refersto a screen of the image forming apparatus 110 indicating that the imageforming apparatus 110 is operating in cooperation with the mobileterminal 100. In step S705, the CPU 2111 executes the received screenprocessing data, for example, a print job. At this time, a screen 903indicating that the job transmitted from the mobile terminal 100 isbeing executed, i.e., a screen indicating that the image formingapparatus 110 is operating in cooperation with the mobile terminal 100,is displayed on the entire screen of the image forming apparatus 110 toprevent the display of the menu screen 902 for selecting the functionsprovided by the image forming apparatus 110. Instead of displaying thescreen indicating that the image forming apparatus 110 is operating incooperation with the mobile terminal 100, a screen for displaying thejob being executed may be displayed.

FIG. 9A illustrates an example of an authentication information inputscreen of the image forming apparatus 110.

In step S706, the CPU 2111 instructs the screen control unit 323 todisplay the authentication information input screen. More specifically,an authentication information input screen 901 for authenticating theuser name and the password is displayed.

As described above, the information processing system according to thepresent exemplary embodiment includes the mobile terminal 100 configuredto perform a wireless communication including a short-range wirelesscommunication, the image forming apparatus 110 connected to a network,and the NFC tag 111 as a near field communication tag that storesinformation about the network.

In a case where the mobile terminal 100 is brought close to the NFC tag111 of the image forming apparatus 110 while the mobile application 300is being executed in the background state, the mobile terminal 100transmits the authentication information to issue a login instruction tothe image forming apparatus 110. This configuration enables the operatorthat performs the NFC touch on the lock screen 801 to smoothlytransition to the operation screen of the image forming apparatus 110.

In the above-described exemplary embodiment, the example where themobile terminal 100 performs a handover by reading data from the NFC tag111 included in the image forming apparatus 110, and then issues a logininstruction or a printing instruction to the image forming apparatus 110has been described. However, the communication method is not limitedthereto. For example, in response to a Bluetooth® communication, whichis a short-range wireless communication, being established between theimage forming apparatus 110 and the mobile terminal 100, a logininstruction or a printing instruction may be issued via Bluetooth®communication.

The above-described exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure canalso be implemented by processing in which a program for implementingone or more functions according to the above-described exemplaryembodiments is supplied to a system or an apparatus via a network or astorage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the systemor the apparatus read out the program and execute the program. Theexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implementedby a circuit (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC))for implementing one or more functions according to the above-describedexemplary embodiments.

While exemplary embodiments have been described, the present disclosureis not limited only to the above-described exemplary embodiments. Theexemplary embodiments may be modified or changed within the scope of thepresent disclosure, and the exemplary embodiments and modified examplesmay be combined as appropriate.

In the above-described exemplary embodiments, the access point 120connects to the image forming apparatus 110 via a wireless LAN to relaycommunication. Alternatively, wired communication may be performed usinga LAN cable or the like.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Embodiment(s) of the present disclosure can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While exemplary embodiments have been described, it is to be understoodthat the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplaryembodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded thebroadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications andequivalent structures and functions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling an informationprocessing apparatus configured to communicate with an external deviceand to execute an application, the method comprising: transmitting alogin request for logging into the external device to the externaldevice, based on a short-range wireless communication being establishedbetween the information processing apparatus and the external device ina state where the application is operating in a background state on theinformation processing apparatus.
 2. The method according to claim 1,further comprising storing user information for logging into theexternal device, wherein the login request includes the stored userinformation.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the state wherethe application is operating in the background state on the informationprocessing apparatus includes a state where the information processingapparatus is locked.
 4. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising determining whether the application is operating in thebackground state on the information processing apparatus, wherein in acase where it is determined that the application is operating in thebackground state on the information processing apparatus, the loginrequest is transmitted.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein inthe determination, it is further determined whether the application isoperating in a foreground on the information processing apparatus, andin a case where it is determined that the application is operating inthe foreground on the information processing apparatus, an instructionbased on a screen being displayed on the application is transmitted tothe external device.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein theshort-range wireless communication is a Bluetooth® communication.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the short-range wirelesscommunication is a near field communication (NFC).
 8. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the application is a program for issuingan image processing instruction to the external devices.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein whether to transmit the login request isswitched depending on whether the application is operating in thebackground state on the information processing apparatus or theapplication is operating in a foreground on the information processingapparatus.
 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein in a case wherethe login request is to be transmitted, a wireless local area network(LAN) communication is established with the external device based on theshort-range wireless communication, and the login request is transmittedvia the wireless LAN communication.
 11. The method according to claim 1,wherein the external device receives the login request and displays amenu screen after execution of login processing.
 12. An informationprocessing apparatus configured to communicate with an external deviceand to execute an application, the information processing apparatuscomprising: a memory storing instructions; and at least one processorexecuting the instructions causing the information processing apparatusto: transmit a login request for logging into the external device to theexternal device, based on a short-range wireless communication beingestablished between the information processing apparatus and theexternal device in a state where the application is operating in abackground state on the information processing apparatus.
 13. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program tocause a computer to perform a method for controlling an informationprocessing apparatus configured to communicate with an external deviceand to execute an application, the method comprising: transmitting alogin request for logging into the external device to the externaldevice, based on a short-range wireless communication being establishedbetween the information processing apparatus and the external device ina state where the application is operating in a background state on theinformation processing apparatus.